Concrete bulkheads are used as boundaries between bodies of water and land to prevent the erosion of soil into the body of water. Bulkheads of various designs are commonly found on the edges of rivers, lakes, ponds, and the ocean. In addition to preventing erosion, bulkheads are useful for forming boat docking areas, boat lifts, and recreational facilities. The design of a bulkhead system involves consideration of the desired end use of the bulkhead, the location and shape of the shoreline, soil conditions, and the like. Conventional bulkhead designs consist primarily of piers or pilings driven deep into the soil, possibly coupled with a substantially vertical concrete barrier or wall. Such bulkheads are easily formed by providing two plate-like members or forms spaced at a desired distance apart in which concrete may be poured even in the presence of water. Concrete which is curable even when immersed is known in the art and is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,301 entitled "Concrete Composition For Underwater Use" hereby incorporated by reference. Once the bulkhead has solidified, the plate-like forms are removed and the soil is compacted along the back side or land side of the bulkhead. These bulkheads function primarily to retain the soil from erosion and are frequently custom shaped along the contour of the waters edge.
Conventional bulkheads can and have been used as the foundation for boat lifts along rivers and lakes. These boat lifts are constructed primarily by extending the piers or pilings sufficiently above the water level to support boat lift equipment such as buoys. Another conventional bulkhead design involves the use of corrugated carbon steel members which are driven deep into the soil by a crane or other pile driving equipment. These steel members are made of corrugated steel plates no more than an inch thick which form bulkheads no more than about a foot thick and typically having sections of about 6 to 10 feet wide. These steel bulkheads have sufficient rigidity to form a soil retaining barrier between the water and the land.
However, there still exists a need for a bulkhead that not only forms an erosion barrier along the waters' edge but goes further to provide a useful walkway or work surface along the waters' edge. It would be desirable if this bulkhead included a broad base to provide stability without necessitating pilings, although allowing the use of pilings for additional stability or for other purposes, such as a boat lift. It would be further desirable if this bulkhead could be formed by assembling a system of interchangeable forming members that can be reused and reconfigured to construct various bulkhead designs and can be reused from one bulkhead assembly to the next.